The April 2010 Utah Priorities Survey conducted by Utah Foundation indicated government spending ranked number two of the top ten issues and concerns among Utah voters. While government spending has been a concern for Utahns in past surveys, it is likely that the recent economic recession contributed to the topic’s continuing relevance and Utahns’ continuing concern for how governments utilize tax money. … Read more »

The purpose of this assessment is to prioritize the specific needs, objectives, and strategies on which UWSL will focus its community impact work. UWSL contracted with Utah Foundation to conduct this assessment, which is a year-long project involving focus groups, surveys, data collection, research, and analysis.

During the first stage of the assessment, Utah Foundation held focus groups with UWSL’s Change Councils, main funders, and staff to determine and gain consensus about what the vision of change is for each of UWSL’s priority areas … Read more »

As part of the 2010 Utah Priorities Project, Utah Foundation, KSL Television and Radio, Deseret News, and the Hinckley Institute sponsored a ground-breaking survey of Utah voters and delegates to the major party conventions. The survey shows distinct differences between party delegates and voters, with delegates usually taking more zealous positions than their party’s voters. The strongest distinctions are, as expected, between the two major parties. The survey also provides insight on Republican delegates’ opinions in the U.S. Senate race. … Read more »

In this special election year, Utahns are less confident that the state is heading in the right direction than they were two years ago. Their concerns about some issues, like energy and transportation, have eased since 2008. However, other issues are now of greater concern, including the economy, government spending, the ethics of elected officials, and states’ rights versus the federal government. … Read more »

Because workforce quality is directly related to labor productivity and output, it is a key determinant of economic growth. Therefore having a well-prepared, knowledgeable, and skilled workforce is a necessary component to ensuring positive economic growth in Utah. Preparing Utah’s workforce for high-growth, high-wage jobs is also critical to maintaining both the competitiveness and standard of living of Utah’s workers. With the economy shifting and the presence of global competitors increasing, Utah workers must understand what occupations will provide them with an adequate wage, as well as opportunities for growth in their careers. … Read more »

While Utah consistently surpassed the national average in terms of the percent of adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher between 1940 and 2000, Utah’s national ranking fell from fifth to 16th during that sixty-year period. Recent data show that Utah’s ranking has continued to follow this downward trend from 2000 to 2008 as well. While both the percent of Utah and U.S. adults with a bachelor’s degree and higher have increased over the last eight years, the rate of growth in Utah has been slower than the national increase, particularly for young women, as other states are catching up to Utah. … Read more »

Dealing with Utah’s Growth ranked tenth on Utah Foundation’s 2008 Utah Priorities Project Survey. Four growth-related issues in the survey showed high levels of concern. The top issues were traffic congestion, crowding in public schools, water supply concerns, and changes in crime rates. This research brief provides information on how Utah’s population growth has and will affect these four and other issues. … Read more »

Teacher quality was rated by voters as a top concern about education in the 2008 Utah Priorities Survey. This brief explains why teacher quality improvement is such an important issue, how it can be measured, some strategies attempted around the nation for improving teacher quality, and a review of research showing which tactics are most likely or unlikely to work. … Read more »

Since 1991, Utah state government spending has generally grown slower than Utah’s economy, except for brief “bumps” during economic booms. Through most of this period, health spending and transportation capital spending grew faster than the economy, while all other categories, including public education (the largest state spending area) declined in terms of spending per $1,000 of personal income. The most recent two fiscal years, however, brought large increases in state spending, mostly focused in public education and transportation capital projects. … Read more »

Many Utahns are familiar with the fact that Utah ranks last in per pupil spending. But what do other states buy with their additional per pupil expenditures? How does Utah’s lower spending level impact schools and learning? This report looks deeper into the differences in education spending between Utah and the U.S. average, comparing specific spending categories, such as instruction, teacher salaries, pupil support, and administration. The report also compares Utah to five demographic peer states identified in a 2007 report comparing test scores. Major findings include: … Read more »